Is the Bible Trustworthy and Reliable?
First Part of the series
Faith FAQ: Biblical answers to tough questions
1 Peter 3 ESV
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
The evidence all points to the trustworthiness and reliability of the Bible.
Continuity of the Bible evidence
There are 66 books in the Bible.
The Bible was written over a span of 1500-1600 years.
40 contributing authors.
Authors lived Lived on three different continents.
Authors spoke three different languages.
Statistical evidence
Prophecy proves the word of God to be true.
In the Old Testament, there are 300 predictions about Jesus.
The last book of Old Treatment was written 400 years before Jesus was born.
Jesus fulfilled all 300 prophecies in His lifetime.
What are the odds?
Dr. Peter Stoner, 600 students, 12 classes
Mission: Find the probability that any human on earth could fulfill eight of these prophecies.
The eight prophecies they chose are:
Christ would be born in Bethlehem.
Christ would ride into town on a donkey.
Christ would be preceded by a messenger.
Christ would be betrayed by a friend.
Christ would be sold for 30 pieces of silver.
Money to be thrown into God's house
Christ would be silent before His accusers.
Christ to be crucified as a thief.
A third party, The American National Scientific Council,stated these results were conservative,
The probability of one person from the time of Jesus to the 20th century fulfilling these 8 prophecies would be One in 10 to the 17th power.
100,000,000,000,000,000
Jesus fulfilled all 300 prophecies.
Scientific
Scientists used to believe that darkness was just the absence of light, but the Bible says it is a created matter.
Now: Dark matter.
Archeological
23,000 archeological discoveries have been made using the Bible.
No archeological discovery has ever contradicted the Bible.
The Hittite people were found by a University of Liverpool professor.
The city of Jericho: Walls fallen down, walls still standing, and burnt jars of grain.
Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are generally dated from around 200 B.C. to A.D. 68.
More than 1,000 years older than any manuscripts of the Hebrew Old Testament that we had before their discovery.
Because of their age and close similarity with the Masoretic Text, we now have an objective basis for determining that the biblical text used in our modern copies of the Old Testament is accurate.
City of Sodom and Gomorrah.
There was an abundance of sulfur deposits (brimstone). According to the Gospel of Luke, “on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them.”
The Tel Dan Stele
A fragmentary stele containing a Canaanite inscription reference to the house of David.
Ancient Egyptian papyrus and clay cuneiform tablets
confirms dates, places, names of rulers, and events.
Historical Evidence
The amount of textual evidence for the New Testament and its accuracy
The gospels in the New Testament were written less than 70 years after events.
Written in a historical narrative eyewitness account literary style.
The life of Jesus is recorded in other historical accounts outside the Bible.
The life-changing effect of the Bible
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Isaiah 55
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it
2 Timothy 3
15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Doctrinal Truth about the Bible
The Authority of Bible
All the words in scripture are God’s words, and to disbelieve or disobey them is to disbelieve or disobey God.
The Bible is God speaking to us.
I Thessalonians 2
13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.
We are to be subject to the word of God.
2 Timothy 3 NIV
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The clarity of the Bible
The Bible is written in such a way that its teachings can be understood by all who are seeking God's help and are willing to follow it.
I Corinthians 2
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Peter did share some things in Paul’s epistles that can be hard to understand, but in general,the Bible's main theme is easy to understand.
Psalm 119
130 The unfolding of your words gives light; itimparts understanding to the simple
The Necessity of the Bible
The Bible is necessary for knowing the gospel, for maintaining spiritual life and for knowing God's will, but it is not necessary for knowing God exists or for knowing something about God's character or moral law.
Romans 10
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Matthew 4
4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
The Sufficiency of Bible
The scripture contains all the words of God that He intended His people to have at each stage of redemptive history and now contains all the words we need for salvation, trusting Him perfectly, and obeying Him perfectly.
2 Timothy 3:15-17 NIV
5 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures,which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
How then must I approach the Bible
James 1
21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Implanted
Expectation
Action
Submission